the uses of rajshahi silk in current fashion trend in ...the seven factories in bscic industrial...

International Journal of Management Finance and Education www.ijmfe.com ISSN (Paper) 2222-6697 ISSN (Online) 2222-7847 Volume: 11, Issue: 01, 2018

The Uses of Rajshahi Silk in Current Fashion Trend in Bangladesh

Noreen Wadud

Assistant Professor, Uttara University, Bangladesh

Email: [email protected]

Abstract

The main purpose of the study is to find the uses of Rajshahi silk in current fashion trend in Bangladesh.

The study also finds out the present complications of the silk industries of Bangladesh and also tried to find

the ways to overcome these complications. Bangladesh has a long and glorious history in sericulture as her

agro-climatic condition is very favorable for the development of this industry. ‘Bengal Silk’ was very

prominent all over Asia. It was known as the Ganges silk in distant Italy as early as the 13th century. Bengal

produced much more silk than was used locally, and it boasted a vigorous export trade of both textiles and

raw silk. It was this trade which first attracted European traders to Bengal. Gradually European traders

started to influence the course of this industry. Data were collected for the study through a questionnaire

survey of 10 randomly sampled silk enterprises and focus group discussion. Finally we have selected 5

enterprises for final analysis. The survey was a combination of both open and close ended questions. Finally

we have found some ways to re-shine the industry.

Key words: Silk, Rajshahi silk, fashion trend, Bangladesh.

1.0 Introduction:

Rajshahi silk is a famous name in the domain of clothing, especially in saris. Silk is a delicate and

soft fibre produced from the cocoons of silkworms and is covered with a protein called sericin.

Saris and other products made out of Rajshahi silk are coveted by users in the country and abroad.

Rajshahi silk is available as fabric in colours and patterns for designers. Silk fabric is available in

ranges for apparel and for other purposes. Rajshahi houses a number of silk industries, the region's

sericulture accounts for almost the entire silk output of Bangladesh. But the past glory of silk is

fading fast due to a lack of government support, although private sector silk industries have created

many jobs in the country, including Chapainawabganj, Rajshahi, Naogaon and Bogra districts, in

the last eight years. Like other state-run organisations of its kind, Rajshahi Silk Factory had to

close its operations in 2002 for a lack supervision and proper planning. But many private silk

companies, including Sopura Silk Mills Ltd, are successfully running their operations

countrywide. The seven factories in BSCIC Industrial Town in Rajshahi have created 15,000

different kinds of jobs, whereas Sopura alone created 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, in several

northern districts and in the capital.

2.0 Theoritical Framework:

2.1 Silk:

Silk is a very fine proteneous filament fiber. This soft fiber is made from silk warm which scientific

name bombyx mori lives through eating mulberry leaves. These warm makes cocoons during their


life which made with gummy substance sericin and it is a protein. Silk fiber was first found in

China and afterwards it spreads worldwide, even in Bangladesh. Production process of silk fiber

is known as sericulture and it is divided into two parts 'mulberry cultivation' and 'silkwarm'. In silk

industry it is mentioned as two types of silk, one is mulberry type and another is non mulberry

type. Non mulberry type silk is again divided into three sub categories. They are Tassar, Eri and

Muga. In our country mulberry type silk is produced mostly.

2.2 Rajshahi silk

Bangladesh has a long and glorious history in sericulture as her agro-climatic condition is very

favorable for the development of this industry. ‘Bengal Silk’ was very prominent all over Asia. It

was known as the Ganges silk in distant Italy as early as the 13th century (Ahmed, 1988). Bengal

produced much more silk than was used locally, and it boasted a vigorous export trade of both

textiles and raw silk (Banerjee, 1990). It was this trade which first attracted European traders to

Bengal (Salam, 1981; Davini, 2008, 2009). Gradually European traders started to influence the

course of this industry. According to Banglapedia (National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh), by

1835, the British East India Company ran over a hundred filatures in the region and exported about

400 tons of raw silk. Later, private companies took over and the export trade boomed till the 1870s,

when because of the epidemic silkworm diseases and technological stagnation Bengal lost most of

its foreign markets and Japan emerged as a new major silk exporter. By the early 20th century,

Bengal silk was pushed out of South Asian markets, especially by Kashmir and Mysore silk

(Ahmed, 1997). By the 1930s, Chinese and Japanese silk started replacing Bengal silk even in

Bengal itself. What this meant in terms of employment can be illustrated by the example of the

Rajshahi district. In the 1870s, some 250,000 people derived incomes from silk production there;

in 1901, the number stood at 41,000 but in 1921 it was less than 600.

The partition in 1947 brought about a disastrous condition in the silk industry of Bangladesh, as

less than 10 percent of Bengal mulberry area was incorporated into Bangladesh, the then East

Pakistan (Banglapedia). This industry was at the verge of extinction producing little more than 100

lbs in the few villages of the Rajshahi District. At that time silk enterprises were not supervised by

the government and left in its entirety to local people for the production of mulberry and silk

materials. After partition, although the then East Pakistan government undertook a grand

sericulture development program under which 10 sericulture nurseries, one silk pilot project and

one silk research and training institute at Rajshahi were established, what was lacking was a whole-

hearted effort in tapping the full potentials of sericulture and providing adequate incentives to the

producers to exploit them (Rahman et al., 1985). From 1947 to 1977 sericulture activities were

looked after by organizations like Directorate of Industries and BSCIC (Bangladesh Small and

Cottage Industries Corporation). During this post-independence period the silk industry received

a more focused attention in terms of capital investment, operational policy formulation, and

institution building. Immediately after the independence, one of the major policy measures with

respect to the silk sector of the country was imposing restrictions over the import of silk yarn and


silk fabrics thus providing the long protection of the sericulture sector. Subsequently, with a view

to expand sericulture throughout the country the government of independent Bangladesh decided

to create a separate organization known as BSB (Bangladesh Sericulture Board) which began

functioning from February, 1978 with its headquarters at Rajshahi nicknamed the ‘silk city’. Since

the mid-eighties, several NGOs started to promote sericulture and silk weaving among poor rural

women with financial assistance from donors and technical assistance from BSB (Huq, 1997).

Figure: 1 Figure: 2

Figure: 3 Figure: 4

Figures 1-4: Factories of Rajshahi Silk

With favorable weather and soil and with a glorious history in silk production Bangladesh should

be a bright name in World sericulture industry. Yet, the reverse is true. While China and India,

neighbors of Bangladesh, become the top two countries in the sericulture sector, Bangladeshi silk

industry is fighting for survival (Hassan & Bakshi, 2005; Haider, 2007). Although the number of

people involved in this industry is quite large (about 600,000), the running enterprises are incurring


losses of around Taka 4 to 5 thousands everyday with at least 60 factories having been shut down

and many others virtually dying (Newshours BD, 2011, Roy et al. 2012).

3.0 Objectives of the study:

The main objective the study is to find the uses of Rajshahi silk in current fashion trend in

Bangladesh. The study also finds out the present problems of the silk industries of Bangladesh and

also tried to find the ways to overcome these problems.

4.0 Methodology:

Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of 10 randomly sampled silk enterprises and

focus group discussion. Finally we have selected 5 enterprises for final analysis. The survey was

a combination of both open and close ended questions. Only owners or managers of the enterprises

were selected as informants.

5.0 Findings:

5.1 Fashion trends of Bangladeshi:

The 40s witnessed worldwide war, despair and asceticism. By the time the United States emerged

out of depression, the rest of the world including Europe and Asia were already submerged knee-

deep into terrible combat. The partition of British India in 1947 gave way to modern states of India

and Pakistan – an era of turmoil whereby fashion was considered, ostentatious. Hence, slightly

deterred but not detached, styling, took to its own trail. Then came 1947 and Bengal was divided

into two – East Bengal (later changed to East Pakistan) and West Bengal. Even through the

separation, nothing could stop ‘the craze that is fashion’, as it seeped through, into every household

within the region. The 1970s saw the rise of Bangladesh, a country new in its form, but quite rich

in culture and heritage; rest of the story unfolds as we continue.

5.1.2 1940s – The era of partition and poetry

In the early 40s, fashion, in the British Raj was largely motivated by the western world, finger

waves and pin rolls in hairdos were quite popular. Fur was au-couture, and upscale women from

Thakur baris or Nawab lineage donned the modern fusion look. Then came the fervour of liberation

and nationalistic sentiments sky-rocketed; leaders like the Mahatma encouraged hand spun khadi

for all its citizens to self-sustain the nation. The cotton material became ‘the trend’. Both men and

women wore the khadi – making it a unique garment for the South Asian subcontinent. Textile

historians depict that after the Independence from British colonialism, women were encouraged to

work and the traditional Bengali style of draping the sari became cumbersome. The modern style

of draping, with several pleats in the navel and the anchal on the left was considered more

appropriate and elegant. Such a drastic fashion change did not happen overnight and much of it

said to be influenced Gyanoda, wife of Satyendranath Tagore, and the elder brother of

Rabindranath Tagore. She even opened a school in Calcutta to teach the new way (Parsi


influenced) of sari draping style to the Bengali women. Discussion on fashion will never be

complete without mentioning jewellery. Bengali women and their love for gold jewelry dates back

to time immemorial, early 40s were perhaps the closing moment in time for the extravagance in

jewelry adornment.

5.1.2 1950s – Uprisings, inherited memories and liberation stories

The 1950s was an era that saw many external conflicts. Bangladesh was still apart of East Pakistan,

but brimming with its unique culture, fashion sense and heritage. The ladies from this region

followed the styles of prominent actresses from Bollywood like Nargis, with her high-necked silk

blouse and pure chiffon saris. This actress won many accolades for her role in ‘Mother India’,

breaking box office records massively in the recently sovereign countries. Even though Nargis was

an Indian actress, her works and styling was quite popular in both East and West Pakistan. Besides

the actresses particular style, that was trending, the upper crust of society were also inclined

towards donning a combination of Victorian and Mughal styling like lehengas, embroidered

gowns, long frilled skirts, etc. – a common scene at many elite gatherings.

5.1.3 1960s – Fresh looks, the rise of cinema and tight skirts

This particular era can be most remembered because of the difference in the hairstyles. The simple

curls and waves were replaced with the bouffant look and long braids. Ladies used to tease their

hair with fine toothed combs to create mountains of knots, later brushed, to give away a beehive

effect. While the western world was sporting miniskirts for the first time, the Bengalis were

donning sleeveless blouses with chiffon saris and body hugging shalwar-kurtis. The sari draping

style was also changing from the traditional right to left anchal to the swirling Bollywood style

copied from actress Mumtaz. Large accessories were replaced by thin belted wrist watches, tiny

ear studs and necklaces with lockets.

5.1.4 1970s - Independence and bell-bottoms

Despite the war of Independence and creation of a sovereign state- Bangladesh, 70s was the most

colourful decade for fashion in the freshly liberated country. Singers and actresses like Runa Laila

and Bobita were major fashion icons for the society. Runa Laila - gifted with the voice of an angel

was a treasure for Bangladesh. Young ladies from the entire South Asian zone were mesmerised

by her talents and her styling sense, diligently following her looks, as a major fashion icon. Bobita

on the other hand was a national heroine, even favored by people living in the furthest peripheries

of the nation. Runa Laila’s thin eyebrows and Bobita’s up-do have become cult fashion, ever since.

Global fashion inclination, in the 70s was towards psychedelic prints, vibrant colors, nets, shiny

materials with bold designs and Bangladesh was not left uninfluenced. Long unkempt hair, thin

eye-brows, bell-bottom pants, loop earrings were fad and the Bangladeshi ladies were donning the

trending style.

5.1.5 1980s – Liberty, experiments and fashion

Embracing the new found liberty in its truest sense Bangladeshi women began to experiment with

their looks during this era. While Hollywood and Bollywood, both were there, prominently, to tell


people what to wear, ladies did some research of their own. Inclination towards polka dots in

different colors, sizes and shapes reigned supreme. Halter necked blouse became popular and

puffed-up wavy hair with frontal bangs became a ‘new thing’ in hairstyling. Few women even

wore kameez with velvet jackets and loose shalwars – more like the, then popular Hindi Cinema

heroines. Big loop earrings were still in, only this time they were donned in more vibrant colors,

rather than the traditional silver and gold. The 80s is probably the decade best attributed to the rise

of fashion in the country, which until then, had more serious issues to address.

5.1.6 1990s – Mughal influence and boutique shops

Not much happened in the fashion scenery during this era. The ladies leaped backed to the Mughal

era and Anarkalis and really long kameez became rampant on the streets. Bengali ladies began

tying their hair in a tight-up-do, and dressed it up further with extensions. This era saw the rise of

boutique shops, making their way into the local markets, one after the other.

5.1.7 2000s – Millennials and chemical experiments

This was the beginning of a new millennium and the world was converging to become one global

unit thanks to the Internet and the rise of social media. The 2000s saw a major rise into

consumerism and the Bangladeshis were adopting more of a western look. Jeans, slacks, tops,

shirts were the major fashion items for the everyday woman, while saris became celebratory attires.

Hairstyling became free-flowing taking no definitive form. However, hair colorings, permanent

straightening, or curling, and highlights became rampant.

5.1.8 2010 onwards – Back to the basics and fusion wear

Pure westernization had lost most of its charm and Bangladeshis became more interested into

fusion, a perfect blend of both East and the West. Casual kurtis, pants, dhotis, etc. were basic dress

up materials. Saris were trending back again, only this time the blouses were altered in various

ways to give a ravishing fusion look. Jacket blouses, net blouses, halter necks and many other

designs became the highlight of a sari. No major changes came in the hairstyles department but

highlights became more environmentally friendly, while hair straightening-curling procedures

became temporary and wellness oriented. Regarding accessories and jewelry, big dial wrist-

watches, diamonds and small purses started trending.

Almost 70 years ago, the subcontinent was liberated from colonist regime. It resurrected, only to

find itself broken into many pieces and ultimately Bangladesh was born in 1971. Many styles have

come and gone within this period but one thing has definitely remained constant throughout it all

was the obsession of the people of Bengal, to look their best through thick and thin.

5.2 Uses of Rajshahi silk in Bangladeshi fashion:

Renowned showrooms for silk product in Bangladesh are:

1. Sopura silk


2. Doyel silk

3. Zarif fashion & craft

4. Usha silk

5. Sharee shop Rajshahi silk

5.2.1 Sopura Silk

Sopura Silk plays a vital role in silk sector of Bangladesh. Normally north Bengal is famous for

silk products and in that sector Sopura Silk is one of the famous silk production company.

Figure-5: Sopura Silk Mills Ltd.

5.2.1.1 Type of Silk:

1. Sopura Silk produces soft silk, andi silk, dhupian silk, muslin, balaka silk etc.

2. In past, balaka silk of this company was very popular but now the days people are very

keen to buy muslin silk.

5.2.1.2 Products:

1. For men-they make shirt, panjabi, fatua and pajama etc.

2. For women-there are different types of shares home decoration cloth procts etc. Most of

the customers here are the women but it has a popularity for men's as well.

Figure-6: Current fashion trend of Sopura Silk


5.2.1.3 Type of Silk:

1. They do two different types of color for sharees are such like this_ acid dyes and reactive

dyes.

2. Apart from this screen print, block prtnt, batick, stitch are applied here to enrich the

beautification of silk.

5.2.1.4 Media and advertisement:

Previously Sopura Silk used to give advertisement in popular dailies and weeklies as well but now

a days they believe that they are well known and they dont need any kind of advertisement

anymore.So they are making their own business with confidence and spreading the business as

well. Sopura Silk is spreading their business in different international sectors. Now a days they

import raw silk from China and send their products in different countries. Sopura Silk is spreading

their business in different international sectors. Now a days they import raw silk from China and

send their products in different countries.

5.2.2 Doyel Silk

Doyel Silk was established in 1967 at Rajshahi, Bangladesh to make the Silk popular to people.

They normally produce all kind of silk such as- Motka, Balaka, Muslin, Soft Silk etc. Most

importantly, Doyel Silk produce the silk with their own mechanism and instrument. They have got

72 worker with 22 Power loom. They are working hard to make this whole project happen but in

some cases they use 35 hand loom to produce dhupiyan, andi silk(these 35 hand loom known as

tant are situated in Harinagar).

5.2.2.1 Production and Customer Reviews

1. They produce Pnjabi, Sherwani, scarfs (produced from Motka, Dhupiyan and andi Silk),

Sharees. Among these products Scarfs and Sharees are very popular.

2. They get all kind of customers start from young age to old and people. Most people prefer

silk dresses for special occasion and for normal uses as well. Bolaka and Soft Silks are

most popular to people.

Figure-7: Current fashion trend of Doyel Silk


5.2.2.2 International and National Business

1. Some of the famous fashion houses in Bangladesh such as 'shada kalo' ,'annya mela' get

their products from doyel silk'.

2. Doyel silk provided a huge amount of sharees for the air hostesses of' united airlines' for 1

year.

3. They provided 3500 pieces of silk sharees for 'south asian games'

4. Bangladesh foreign ministry sent lots of scarfs to different countries from doyel silk.

5. Some foreign embassy use some silk products to enlighten their decoration

5.2.3 Current fashion trend of Zarif fashion & craft, Usha silk and Sharee shop Rajshahi

silk:

Figure-8: Current fashion trend of Zarif fashion & craft

Figure-9: Current fashion trend of Usha Silk


6.0 Constraints to the development of the silk industry

Insufficient government patronization was cited by owners or managers of the silk enterprises as

one of the major constraints to the development of the Bangladeshi silk industry. In actual fact

these silk enterprises are not coordinated by the government; they are left to run individually, so

that they are competing with each other while also having to compete with China and India. In this

respect BSB has proven ineffective in managing the whole silk industry. In BSB, the directors are

government administrators who were frequently transferred before they could settle long enough

to understand the problem of the silk industry.

Financial problem is another major hindrance. Due to lack of publicity and lack of government

assurance, industrialists are reluctant to invest money in this sector. Only very few firms - two or

three are dominating this whole silk sector, while the majority of the enterprises are small in size

and production scale. One factor that contributed to the high production cost had to rely on

imported raw materials such as mulberry. Mulberry production was not encouraged in Bangladesh.

Although mulberry production is very profitable, most of the farmers are unaware of this due to

lack of information and extension services. Many enterprises could hardly afford the cost and felt

discouraged to increase production. Lack of skilled labor, modern technology, and uninterrupted

electricity supply were also cited as constraints to the development of this industry.

7.0 Recommendations from the enterprise owners of the silk industry

Many of the silk industrialists opine that if government assists directly the silk industry will

develop rapidly. According to them more investment is necessary for this sector as are increasing

skilled labor and popularizing silk items throughout the country. They offer the following

recommendations:

Figure-10: Current fashion trend of Sharee shop Rajshahi silk


a. Giving credit with simple conditions Giving credit with simple conditions is very much needed

at this time as investment in this sector is decreasing year by year. If government banks take this

step then more people would be interested to invest in the silk industry and this will definitely help

this sector to flourish.

b. Widespread use of modern technology Most of the silk enterprises have obsolete machineries

for production. BSB should help those enterprises which lack financial capacity to own modern

technology. The BSB could buy and lease those machineries to those enterprises while earning

some income for itself.

c. Disseminate information Advertisement, publicity and promotion of products are keys to the

development of the silk industry. BSB should play a vital role in spreading information locally and

internationally.

d. Reduce tax and give out subsidy Production cost is significantly dependent on the price of

imported silk thread. The price of locally produced silk yarn was Taka 1300 per kg while the

China-yarn was Taka 2500 during the eighties; now the current prices have risen to between Taka

5600 to Taka 6000 (Newshours BD). Owners of the silk enterprises urge the government to

alleviate tax imposed on thread and give them import subsidy.

e. Training entrepreneurs and workers BSB and BSRTI should organize training programs,

workshops and seminars more frequently. All the new entrepreneurs and workers should have

access to introductory training on sericulture provided by BSB or BSRTI.

f. Increasing mulberry cultivation To reduce the import of raw materials (silk thread), Bangladesh

must start mulberry production in the opinion of the industry owners. If the raw materials are

provided locally the production costs would be considerably reduced and thus Bangladesh can be

competitive in the international market. The industry owners perceive that BSB and BSRTI should

actively motivate farmers to cultivate mulberry by means of subsidies in the production of

mulberry.

8.0 Conclusion

There is not many differences in sector of design of Silk sarees. In most cases the producers of

these sarees do not invest any resources on design, style and motifs to be used. One of the main

problem in the silk supply is that- if a color of silk is finished from the stock, it is rarely reproduced.

Because of the fact that the yarn is dyed manually so that makes it very hard to reproduce the same

shade of color twice. There is not so much differences in style of sarees in demand of young

generation and old generation. Still Rajshahi silk is showing her impact on current fashion.

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